Copyright © 2024 Mondå Forlag
1st Edition, 1st Print
Published by Mondå Forlag AS
ISBN: 978-82-93622-22-2
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Author: Cécile Moroni
Illustrations: Elise H. Kollerud
Cover design and layout: Elise H. Kollerud, Julien S. Bourrelle & Cécile Moroni
Print: Livonia Print SIA
Photograph: Svein Finneide
More info: www.monda.no
Mondå Forlag
The name “Mondå” is inspired by the Spanish word “el mundo”, which means “the world”. We are a Scandinavian publisher with a vision to connect people across cultures by helping them to see the world from others’ perspectives and to be more conscious of their own culture, perceptions and expectations. Our approach is based on humour and tailored illustrations.
We believe that it is not merely about creating diversity, but about benefitting from diversity.
In Norway, we publish books which help foreigners to socialise, work, communicate and connect with Norwegians. Norwegians learn about how their social behaviours may be perceived and how communication norms differ when working globally.
www.monda.no
Pregnancy
I remember the day we found out I was pregnant with our first baby. I was over the moon, and my eyes were full of joyful tears.
It was a bit different for my husband.
He is from Norway, a place where feelings are expressed in a careful way.
But I knew he was full of joy too, because he silently raised one eyebrow when I told him the news.
This is a sign of big excitement for Norwegians.
Medical check-ups during pregnancy tend to be infrequent and kept to the bare essentials in Norway:
• How big is the expecting mother’s belly?
• Can the midwife hear the baby’s heartbeat?
• How much weight did the expecting mother gain?
• And, most importantly, has she avoided French wine and cigarettes?
In several other European countries, the number of tests and checks-up provided by public healthcare is much higher.
For example, several of my friends outside Norway had an ultrasound each month. I had one during the whole pregnancy.
My Norwegian general practitioner said that, as I was under thirty-eight years old and in good shape, the baby should be fine. If I felt tired, he recommended orange juice and some rest.
He explained that the Norwegian health system trusts statistics and the fact that things go well in most cases. Norwegians would rather treat an exceptional case when it occurs, than test all expecting mothers for all types of improbable diseases and troubles – like they do in France, for example.
The worst thing I could do, the midwife said, was go to France during the holidays. THAT was a risk. Because of raw meat and unpasteurized cheese.
“Steak tartare and blue cheese? Are you insane? You cannot trust this food. Why not just go parachute jumping, or even worse, eat foie gras!”
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Birth
When you give birth in Norway, you have no idea who will be at the hospital on that day to assist the birth.
In other countries, you may have a dedicated gynaecologist throughout your pregnancy, have an appointment before the birth with the anaesthesiologist who will take care of you at the hospital – and so on.
Norwegians trust their health system and take it as it comes.
Only midwives assisted in the births of my children. It felt both professional and safe. They were extremely competent. They were also truly empathetic. I have had enormous respect and admiration for midwives ever since.
Midwives leave at the exact end of their shift, even if it’s just before the delivery. Norwegians stay pragmatic about it all.
For the birth of my second daughter, the midwife said, while putting her coat on, “I need to go. I can see the hair on the top of your baby’s head between your legs. I guess she will be born very soon! Say hello from me when she’s out!”
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Norwegian winters are dark, with very few hours of daylight. Children therefore wear yellow jackets when going out onto the street. This is for safety reasons: they need to be seen by glowing in the dark.
Part of the country is above the Arctic Circle and doesn’t even get daylight at all for several months in winter!
The first time I received pictures of my kids walking around in Oslo with yellow jackets, it warmed my French heart. In France, wearing yellow jackets means striking, so I was very proud of them. I thought that they were probably learning how to demonstrate and be on strike. Chapeau! Hats off to them!
While being outside, Norwegian children also acquire knowledge that would otherwise be acquired in a classroom in many other places in the world. For example, my kids learned how to measure with wood sticks, how to count with stones, and how to write letters with pieces of bark.
It is quite interesting to see your children writing the very exotic letters Æ, Ø and Å. The Norwegian alphabet has 29 letters, three more than the English one.
When my daughter showed me how she was able to write her name in pinecones, I was glad she was called Liv and not Marie-Marguerite.
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Delivering and Picking-up children
There is no locked fence around kindergartens in Norway. As a foreigner, I find it a miracle that no kid disappears. Norway enjoys a low crime rate and a very high level of trust.
Everybody can see the playground areas of kindergartens, which are not hidden behind high barricades like in many other places.
When picking up their children, parents or any adult can enter the kindergarten freely. This was a major cultural shock for me.
You can enter the kindergarten as you wish, but you should always be careful not to let any child escape when opening the gate. After the birth of my third child, I was sometimes so tired that I had to double-check that I was picking up the right kids.
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About the author
Cécile was born and raised in the land of baguette and camembert, and has been living in Norway since 2010, all because of “an amazing Norwegian Viking” she met while studying in Germany. Cécile received Norwegian citizenship in 2021.
Cécile has written articles in the biggest Norwegian newspapers, Aftenposten, Dagsavisen, Dagbladet, etc., where she shares her reflections and perspectives on Norwegian society with humour. Cécile uses her warm and self-deprecating style to invite readers to question their own unconscious biases.
As a standup comedian, Cécile performs in Norwegian, French, and English, sparking multilingual laughter in each city she visits. In 2023, she won Best comedian of the year at Stå Opp-Prisen and was nominated as Stand-up comedian of the year at Humorprisen, two of Norway’s most prestigious comedy prizes. In 2024, she was recognised with the Trophée Culture/Art de Vivre at Trophée des Français de l’Étranger for her work making France shine worldwide. This prize is awarded by the French newspaper Le Petit Journal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, in the presence of the Minister for foreign trade and economic attractiveness.
After graduating from ESSEC Grande École in France and University of Mannheim in Germany, Cécile worked in strategic consulting and held leadership positions in Nespresso and Carlsberg, two well-known multinational corporations. She was also the CEO of a small Norwegian company, before starting her successful career as a comedian.
Her master thesis on Kultur und Führungsstile in einem Vergleich zwischen Deutschland, Frankreich und Großbritannien compares cultures and leadership styles in Germany, France and Great Britain.
She brings her educational and business background and her stand-up comedy experience to her talk Champagne & Brunost: a crash course in culture clash.
Cecile is passionate about cultural differences and promoting diversity. She gave a TEDx talk in Trondheim in 2023 focusing on the future of foreign women leaders in Norway.
When she’s not on stage, you can find her raising three children in Oslo. But please be quiet; they are currently sleeping outside.
Cecilemoroni.com
